“Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose” –Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
As we, the editors, worked on the 8th edition of Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology, we were struck by Monsieur Karr's quote from 160 years ago. This textbook continues to change and evolve. The incomparable Ted Harris, who was editor-in-chief of the 7th edition, has stepped down, leaving Gary Firestein to fill his shoes. For the first time, a European editor, Iain McInnes, joined the group and helped create a truly international edition. Full color was introduced, new chapter formats were designed to assure a consistent look and feel for each topic, and algorithms for diagnosis and treatment as well as key point boxes were included. In addition, new authors were added to the list of luminaries that already contribute to the book, and there was a major effort to provide greater availability through electronic versions of reference material and on-line access.
